Second Chances
by DoOdLeBuG85
Summary: Hermione gives Draco a second chance so that he can prove he is a changed man...but will Draco prove this without any problems and win Hermione's heart. Rated M for later material


A/N: This is my first fanfiction story. I have been trying out the idea for a couple of months. I don't own anything. I also want to say thank you to JenJenSon for reading this and bearing with me as I tried to get it right

Disclaimer: J. K. Rowling owns all the characters for this and I make no money off of it.

Chapter 1

Hermione walked into Hog's Head with a book in hand, and was getting ready to learn her next phase of magic. As she started to walk to her favorite table in the back of the pub someone tapped her on the shoulder. "Malfoy! You scared me. Don't do that!" she fussed. He started laughing at her the way he always did. It ran through her mind that she never noticed how sexy his laugh actually was. He finally calmed down and said "I didn't mean to scare you. I was actually about to ask if you would like to have some lunch with me." She looked at him a bit odd and commented, "Malfoy, we have been enemies for years now, what makes you want to ask me to lunch all of a sudden?" "Well, I had to do something to show you that... that I might actually ..."he drifted off, too shy obviously to finish his thought. Hermione started blushing slightly and smiling rather big. Draco took this as a sign to complete his confession. "I have always thought you were rather interesting for a Gryffindor, but you were always around Potter and that little rat Weasley. I could never really hang around you because of the fact that we were always enemies because of my father's plans for me. Plus I was a Slytherin and you were a Gryffindor, not exactly supposed to be friends." She looked shocked, but pleased at the same time. Draco smirked and turned his head as if looking for a table. "Well, in that case, umm... sure. I would be delighted to join you in for lunch." She gave him that little grin that for some reason, always made him get this warm feeling inside. As they started towards her favorite table, Hermione noticed that she couldn't stop grinning at the thought that Draco actually didn't hate her. She had always thought he was somewhat sexy, and possibly stunningly handsome.., but it never occurred to her that he might feel the same. Since their first year at Hogwarts, they have always been enemies because she was in Gryffindor and he was in Slytherin. After seven years she thought that nothing had changed.

As they sat down, the waiter, who surprisingly turned out to be Neville Longbottom, came to take their order. He looked to see who was sitting at his next table, "Neville? When did you start working here?" Hermione asked, surprised to see him there. "I am working here until I can get an apprenticeship for Herbology, I am hoping to get started on that sometime soon. "He spoke in a small tone, almost like he was scared if he talked about it that it would never happen. Hermione decided not to ask any more questions about it. "What can I get for you two today?" Neville tried to sound a little bit perkier. "We will have the pea soup special and two cups of rosemary herbal tea please", Draco said trying to sound proper and polite. He never fancied being around Neville, he always thought Neville was a pompous idiot with no true backbone. "Alright then, be back in just a few." As Neville turned to walk away, Draco turned his attention back to Hermione who looked at him, " I can order for myself thank you." She quickly turned her attention into the book she had tucked under her arm. Instead of interrupting her right away, he stared for a few minutes. He had never fully noticed how soon she could turn her interest into something he thought was so... so boring. He thought it was so cute how she was reading so daintily. Hermione glanced up and noticed that Draco was staring at her intently. She blushed slightly and asked with a small giggle in her voice, "What are you staring at so hard?"

Draco quickly snapped out of it and said, "I never truly noticed how interesting it is when you are focusing on something. You have this little thing at you do and it's just so... so cute." He is crazy, she thought to herself. As far as she knew, she didn't do anything abnormal as she was studying. "And what is it that I do that amuses you so much?" she asked. "Well, for starters, you scrunch your nose when you get to a part that you don't understand. Also, you get this shine in your eye when you learn something new and your entire face starts glowing. Granger, I never thought I would say this aloud, but you are a truly bright, beautiful, and very attractive woman. He flashed a smile to try and let her know that he was being sincere. Hermione smiled the biggest smile she could muster up. " Malfoy, now I know you are up to something because you would never really think that I am beautiful." Draco looked at her and saw that she really believed what she said. "Hmmm, is that what you think? Did it ever occur to you that I am actually being myself now that I have the freedom to do so and don't have to worry about what my father thinks?" It was so overwhelming for her to hear those things coming from Draco. "Oh I'm sorry I just assumed that you would never think anything like that about a Gryffindor, let alone a member of the Golden Trio." In no time, Neville brought their soup and tea, and quickly walked away to serve another table. As they were about half way through their lunch, Hermione started sneaking glances at Draco while he sipped his pea soup. After she thought about it, he was very attractive in a way that she had never noticed before. In a very odd and sexy sort of way, he was charming. Romance was never her strongest personality trait, always scared that she would get shot down because she tended to over think things and start running her mouth about things that made no sense to anyone else but her. She hated the fact to she couldn't keep her mouth shut when she got nervous, but this time she was determined to try. "So Malfoy, how have you been since Hogwarts is over?" she asked casually. Draco looked up from his soup, surprised at the question. "Well, it's been rather quiet around my house. With both of my parents in Azkaban, it's just me and all of the servants. It gets rather boring with no one to talk too..." he trailed off, hoping to give a small hint. It seemed to work as Hermione said, "Well that's no fun. Since there aren't as many people to take care of, why don't you let some of the servants go? It would be a very good gesture, and maybe someone could accompany you at home... to umm... keep you company. If you are that bored then rearrange your house make it yours." Hermione tried not to remember what the house that she had been tortured in looked like, it was dark and covered with old family artifacts. "Well, maybe one day I will invite someone over after I make sure that my house is my own as you put it. I have been working on expanding my own personal library so that I can fill up all the selves with stuff that I like instead of stuff my father liked. "He knew that would spark her interest. "You have your own library?" she said so amazed at the thought of having her own library right there in her home. "That is something that I have always wanted, my own library, but I guess that wouldn't be hard for you to believe." He was very pleased with her response, he said very slick like, "maybe one day you will come see me at the manor, like I said after I am finished decorating it." Hermione just looked at him and nodded, "yeah maybe." Draco could tell that she didn't plan on coming to the manor. He would have to get here trust back before he could get her to come to the manor first. "Granger, I was wondering if you would like to do this again sometime, you know have dinner or something again?" Hermione thought long and hard before answering, " I'm not sure if that would be the best idea, or if it would even be wise, I know if Harry and Ron found out they would not talk to me for a long time. But I will consider it." Draco nodded his head and called Neville back so that they could pay for their food. When the ticket was taking care of they walked outside. When Draco looked at Hermione she gave a little smile. "Well Granger, It was nice, will look forward to hearing that answer of yours about dinner again. And you might as well know I will not drop the question, I want to have dinner with you very soon." The next few weeks flew by as Hermione was staying at the burrow with Ginny for the last few weeks of the summer, just chilling out like old times. One day when Hermione got up for breakfast, Ginny and Harry were sitting cozied up to each other in the living room drinking their coffee and pumpkin juice. Hermione felt a pang of jealousy at the happiness the two had just simply being with each other. "Ahem, um I have a question to ask you guys. I need your opinion on something, I have been trying to settle things myself in my head but I can't seem to do so." Ginny looked at her, "ok so what is the question?" Hermione hesitated for a minute, "Draco Malfoy wants me to have dinner with him and I didn't know if I should or not." Harry surprised Hermione by answering her, "Hermione, would you like to go to dinner with him?" She thought about this for a minute and said, "well he was nice at lunch I would like to see if he could be again" "It's settled then," said Harry, "you should go out to dinner with him." Hermione was as surprised at Harry as Ginny was. "WOW, Harry what happened to Draco being your enemy. You are supposed to try to talk me out of it. I was hoping you would go into this long lecture and tell me that I am losing my mind. I mean bloody hell I am a Gryffindor and he is a Slytherin. Harry what should I do. I don't want to take the cowards way out I am supposed to be courageous." Hermione felt the tears welling up in her eyes. Harry walked over and sat beside her he put his arm around her, "Hermione, I believe everyone should get a second chance if they really may have changed and maybe he has changed." Hermione smiled, "Harry, how is it you know the right thing to say all the time. Ginny you know you are so lucky." Ginny just smiled, "I know, he is great huh?" "Well then I think I am going to go to lay down for awhile," Hermione paused, "So are you sure I should go. I'm so worried about how it would turn out, please just tell me it is going to be ok." "Harry looked at Hermione again and said, "why don't you go lay down and rest and we will talk about it when you get up ok?" Hermione went to lay down and was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

A couple of hours later when she woke up, there was a note from Ginny saying that Harry wanted to talk to Hermione. Ginny said that she was going shopping with her mother. Hermione walked down stairs and found Harry in the kitchen sitting at the table where they had so many meals with the Weasleys. Hermione sat down and looked at Harry smiling and waiting on him to say something. Harry looked up very intensely at her. "Hermione, look it may take awhile for everyone to get used to the idea of even being friends with Draco much less you going to dinner with him and who knows where it will go after that. But how everyone else feels is not what matters, how you feel is what matters Hermione, so go and try it out see if you can have fun with him ok?" Hermione smiled and gave Harry a hug, "thank you Harry, guess I better send Draco an owl with my acceptance to dinner." Hermione sent an owl carrying a note to Draco that she accepted his offer to dinner


End file.
